PO Box 14 • Somerset, MA 02726
orders 1-800-2-BUY-DYE
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e-mail • promail@prochemical.com
www.prochemical.com
Two Color Gradation Dyeing in Six Steps
using PRO MX Reactive Dyes
Please read directions carefully before starting.
Now you can dye your own gradation of color. For solid shade gradation dyeing on
Cotton, Linen, Rayon & Silk. This easy recipe dyes six fat quarters. Each fat quarter
is a different hue, moving from one color to another. You'll need to pull together a
couple of things to make your dye session go smoothly, and you’ll also need to set
aside a 2-hour chunk of time. Always do test samples before working on a large project.
For additional information, visit our web site at www.prochemical.com
All utensils used for dyeing should not be used for
food preparation
Equipment
6 x 1 gallon (4 liter) plastic dye buckets
2 x 1 cup (250 ml) measures
1 set of measuring spoons
rubber gloves
Supplies
1½ yards (1½ meters) bleached or unbleached cotton fabric
2 colors of PRO MX Reactive Dye
Synthrapol
PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash
1½ cups (450 gm) Table Salt
Procedure
1. Scour the fabric by machine washing in HOT 140oF (60oC)
water, or by hand in a pot on the stove with ½ tsp (2 gm) PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash
and ½ tsp (2.5 ml) Synthrapol per pound of fabric (454 gm, or 3 to 4 yards cotton muslin,
or 8 yards 8mm China Silk, or 3 Medium T-shirts, or 1 sweatshirt). Rinse thoroughly. This
step does not add the dye fixative to the fabric; it prepares your fabric for dyeing by
removing any dirt, oil or sizing.
2. Cut the fabric. Cut the 1 ½ yard (1 ½ meters) into "Fat Quarters" (18" x 22", or 46cm x 56 cm)
3. Make the dye bath. Label the plastic dye buckets with masking tape. Number them 1 through 6 and place them in numerical order. Measure ½ gallon (2000 ml) of room temperature 75oto 95oF (24oto 35oC) water into each of the plastic dye buckets. Add ¼ cup (75 gm) of salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
4. Make the dye concentrate by dissolving 1 tsp (2.5 g) PRO MX Reactive Dye powder in 1 cup (250 ml) of room temperature 75oto 95oF (24oto 35oC) water. Then, measure the dye concentrate into dye baths as follows:
COLOR #1
Dye Bath #1: Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of the dye concentrate, pour it into the first dye bath and mix well.
Dye Bath #2: Refill the dye concentrate cup with room temperature water to the 1 cup (250 ml) mark. Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of this diluted dye concentrate, pour it into the second dye bath and mix well.
Dye Bath #3: Refill the dye concentrate cup with room temperature water to the 1 cup (250 ml) mark. Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of this diluted dye concentrate, pour it into the third dye bath and mix well.
Dye Bath #4: Refill the dye concentrate cup with room temperature water to the 1 cup (250 ml)mark. Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of this diluted dye concentrate, pour it into the fourth dye bath and mix well.
Dye Bath #5: Refill the dye concentrate cup with room temperature water to the 1 cup (250 ml)mark. Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of this diluted dye concentrate, pour it into the fifth dye bath and mix well.
Dye Bath #6: Refill the dye concentrate cup a final time with room temperature water to make 1 cup (250 ml). Measure ½ cup (125 ml) of this diluted dye concentrate, pour it into the sixth dye bath and mix well. Pour the remaining ½ cup (125 ml) of diluted dye concentrate down the drain.
COLOR #2
Make dye concentrate using the second color. Add dye concentrate to the dye baths in reverse order. Begin with Dye Bath #6 and end with Dye Bath #1.
5. Add the fabric. Add one piece of washed and wet "Fat Quarter" fabric to each dye bath. Stir each dye bath occasionally for the next 10 minutes.
6. Fix the dye onto the fabric. Make the PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash concentrate by dissolving ¼ cup (27 gm) of PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash in 1½ cups (375 ml) warm 120oF (49oC) water. While wearing rubber gloves, remove the fabric from Dye Bath #1. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash concentrate into this dye bath and mix well. Return the fabric to the dye bath and give it a good stir. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) of the dissolved PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash to Dye Baths #2 through #6 just as you added it to Dye Bath #1.
Stir each of your dye baths every 5 minutes for the next hour. Make sure there are no air bubbles trapped in the fabric and change the folds in the fabric when you stir.
7. Rinse the fabric. After 60 minutes dyeing is complete. While wearing rubber gloves remove the fabric from Dye Bath #1 and lay it in the sink. Carefully pour the dye bath down the drain. Fill your empty dye bath bucket with room temperature 75oto 95oF (24oto 35oC) water, then replace your fabric. Pour the contents of the other five dye baths down the drain and add those fabrics to your first rinse water, along with the first piece of fabric. Rinse all six pieces of fabric together in room temperature 75oto 95oF (24oto 35oC) water. Change the rinse water four times. Then wash in very HOT 140EF (60oC) water with ½ tsp (2.5 ml) Synthrapol for 5 minutes. Rinse until the rinse water is clear and dry the fabric.
Good Things to Know
Dye baths cannot be stored or reused after PRO Dye Activator or Soda Ash is added.
To obtain a darker color gradation, use double the amount of dye powder (2 level tsp or 5 gm) for each color. To obtain a lighter (pastel) color gradation, use half the amount of dye powder (½ level tsp or 1.25 gm) for each color. To increase amount of fabric dyed increase amount of water and all chemicals proportionally. To obtain a value gradation of one color, light to dark, follow the recipe up to step 4, adding only Color #1, then proceed on to "Add the Fabric". To do more steps in the gradation (9 steps instead of 6) use 1 ½ times the amount of dye and add theappropriate amount of dye baths. Dye your fabric with a pattern. Obtain the popular mottled or crushed look by wadding your washed and wet fabric into a ball. Wrap rubber bands around it to hold it loosely together and then add it to your dye bath. © Copyright 2002